Many of us dream of starting our own business—of pursuing that one thing we’re truly passionate about for our career. Of course, launching your own company isn’t easy—and if you’re not careful, it could ultimately drain your finances and leave you worse off than when you started.

By carefully considering your options and making the right money-saving moves, however, you can take a more cost-effective approach to starting your business. There are two areas in particular that can have a big impact on your finances and sustainability in the early phases of your startup. If starting your own company is in your future plans, you should consider the following tips to ensure that you have an affordable launch.

The Right People

No company can operate on its own, and to achieve the type of growth and profitability that will allow you to have lasting success, you’ll need to bring in others to help you out.

Of course, hiring the right person can be a tricky process, to say the least. Bringing the right people on board can be exactly what your fledgling idea needs to become the top product in its niche. On the other hand, the wrong person can completely sink your business. Because of this, you must be careful when hiring someone to assist with your work. Friends and family aren’t always qualified to help you out, even if they want to. Look carefully at work portfolios and recommendations before making a decision—those first hires will likely be the most important ones you make.

The best people to work with your fledgling company are typically willing to overlook your inability to offer a high salary in exchange for your potential. Using incentives such as equity or sales commission will help you keep costs down and could ultimately turn into a win-win for both you and your employees.

If you don’t have the money to hire a full-time or part-time employee, consider enlisting the help of a freelancer. Many freelance contractors offer work on a project-by-project basis. For example, you might not need a full-time graphic designer, but you’ll want a professional to design your logo. Hiring a freelancer can get the results you need without the expenses of a full-time employee.

The Right Tools

Selling your product or service requires a lot more than simply launching a website. In fact, with so many data points to keep track of, navigating the sales process can be extremely tricky and time-consuming. There’s manufacturing and inventory information, salesperson reports, product distribution, and countless other small details that need to be carefully tracked to ensure that you deliver quality results for your customers.

Without the right information in hand, you’ll have a hard time keeping up with customer needs, and could find yourself making an early exit from the business world. Because of this, investing in tools like NetSuite can play an important role in establishing quality standards for your company. NetSuite’s Sales Force Automation software powers organizations with integrated processes for sales forecasting, ensuring that everyone has the information they need while easing the burden of data tracking. Best of all, this software is designed to grow alongside your company, ensuring that it will be equally useful once you gain more customers and hire more salespeople.

Sales and supply chain management are ultimately the most important areas to consider if you want your business to be successful in the long run. By using the right tools to automate data tracking, sales forecasting, and other important tasks, you can save time and improve results to become more profitable. Best of all, you can even use a free trial period to get a feel for a particular business tool so you can determine if it’s the best fit for you.